hair loss & fatigue

Mar 19, 2007

i was recently diagnose with hiv on 2/18/05. when i was first diagnosed my doctor let me decide when i wanted to start hiv meds. i started asap . my doc put me on sustiva 600 & epzicom .

my question is that since i started i have very bad side effects from the meds , my doc said it was from sustiva & my body had to adjust to the meds.
since then to now i been on both meds & have noticed that im sometimes more achy than normal & fatigued
also im noticing that balding very quickly ?

can these meds cause these side affetcs ?

the reason i asked is because i have missed a dose here or there & feel great, but when i take the meds i feel horrible.

the only reason i stay on them is because there working for me , but i am concerned that there doing damage to me?

sincerly
concerned patient

Response from Dr. Henry

If you are still having bothersome side effects from your HIV medications then a discussion about a switch (such as from Sustiva to a protease inhibitor) is reasonable. Hair loss is common in the general population so linking it to a particular HIV medication or regimen can be tough. I have had some patients who have had accelerated hair loss from lamivudine (part of Epzicom) so a switch off that med (often to tenofovir ) is worth discussing as well. Fatigue and achiness can be due to a wide range of both HIV and non-HIV conditions so a thorough mental and physical health evaluation is recommended. KH

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